Veterans Day services planned around Carthage area

Veterans groups and schools across the area will meet on Monday and Tuesday to honor those who have served the nation.

Veterans groups and schools across the area will meet on Monday and Tuesday to honor those who have served the nation.

The Carthage Veterans Alliance, which includes the Carthage VFW, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart and others, will host the annual Veterans Day Program starting at 11 a.m. Monday at Carthage's Memorial Hall.

The Heartland Band will start playing patriotic tunes at 10:30 a.m.

The various veterans posts will be recognized during the ceremony.

Albert Walton, Carthage, a Korean War veteran who survived the 1951 Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, will be honored as one of the “Chosin Few,” as survivors of that massive retreat have dubbed themselves.The battle took place in late November and early December 1951 when the Chinese Army intervened in the U.N advance up the Korean Peninsula.

U.N forces under Gen. Douglas McArthur, had broken out of the Pusan Perimeter in the south of peninsula and broken the North Korean army, driving it back to the Chinese border with that country.

On Nov. 27, Chinese forces attacked U.S. Army and Marine troops along with some British units and South Korean units around the huge Chosin Reservoir.

The Chinese troops vastly outnumbered the U.S. and allied forces and the battle was fought in some of the most brutal winter weather seen in Korea in 100 years, with temperatures dropping as low as 35 degrees below zero.

U.N. Forces suffered more than 1,000 soldiers killed and almost 5,000 missing in the 17-day retreat to the Sea of Japan where U.S. and British naval forces evacuated them.

Schools in Carthage and Jasper will hold Veteran’s Day events on Tuesday, since school won't be held on Monday because of teacher inservices.

Carthage elementary and other schools will hold events at each school while in Jasper, an assembly with all students and the community will start at 1:30 p.m. at Tabler Gymnasium.